KirbyDome89

No but it would clear up some of the 1B/DH logjam which was one of the reasons given for DFAing Park.

I don't see the addition of a potential slugger to a group filled with question marks as a bad move. Before Park was signed how comfortable could anybody really be with the given options? We've seen Sano struggle defensively and Vargas bounced back. None of that had played out at the time of the signing.

If they aren't into Park then i can understand it but I disagree. If Dantana is more likely to be claimed I would gladly let another team pay him. I feel like you can find his clone fairly easily either within the organization or on the waiver wire.

Thats a lot to tackle. In hindsight the signing is easier to criticize but at the time Vargas was coming off a poor season, Sano wasn't considered the defensive liability he is now (though not sure I'm ready to call him that at 3B yet,) Plouffe was supposed to be a "trade chip," and Arcia was basically the 4th "OFer,"/DH (in quotes b/c yeah the guy was a butcher). Given that I didn't really have a problem with the Twins signing a potential impact bat like Park to a cheap contract. If it didn't pan out then fine they move on and if it did then they no longer had to worry about the revolving door that has been that position. None of those guys was a sure bet to stick so throwing another name into the hat wasn't an issue for me. I agree, they are facing the same issue that plagued them in 2016, but I don't think that is a reason to just send guys away when they have the potential to actually help this team down the line. Its still a terrible roster. They aren't going to be competitive this year. I'm not defending the defensive deficiencies of these guys but I would much rather they gain clarity on the situation by actually evaluating the play of Park and Vargas on the field rather than just pick one to boot and say "ok, situation solved." That is especially true when there are a number of players on the 40 man that have no business being there. It would be another thing if they were fighting for the last true spot on the roster. I'm not in favor of giving up potential talent on a team this bad in favor of having flexibility for another season of 90+ losses. People are upset because there are clearly other players on the 40 man to DFA or option. I would have much preferred they rolled with the rotation you mentioned above. If players showed they couldn't hack it then absolutely move on. The only player I can think who has had 2-3 years of opportunities is the one player the rest of us can't believe wasn't DFA'd. That is a major source of the frustration.

I like how you laid out scenarios in the post. I don't know if I would say I'm "high," on Park but I would like to see what he can do. I think that is what a lot of posters care about. He very well could be another Benson, Arcia, Hicks, ect... but given the number of players we know aren't MLB quality on this roster that could've been jettisoned rather than Park, the move is boggling. If he does clear waivers it is a win for the 40 man; I just see it as an unnecessary risk.

I think that move raises more questions than it answers.

I can't really add anything because my EXACT thoughts have already been touched on: Why keep Dantana or any other fringe reliever? Why not use Vargas's 4th option year? Initially I wasn't opposed to the Belisle signing but if it means losing Park then what is the point? If they sign a Napoli type and cut Vargas's PT my head might just explode.... To me this is eerily similar to the Arcia debacle. The process of how we got to potentially losing Park is much more frustrating than actually losing him. There are players on this 40 man with much less potential upside to help over the next 3 years, it makes 0 sense to cling to veteran/mediocre players coming into a season that even optimistic fans have labeled a 'trial run."

Likely a better bet

Rosario is safe....Dantana too unfortunately....

There is a difference between falling to complete an important task and being an overall failure. I see the move to start the season with Dozier rather than acquire at least one future arm as a failure. That doesn't mean I think the new FO is in it's entirety a disaster.

I believe Einstein had a pretty famous quote about the definition of insanity. It seems very fitting in this situation...

"They'll be better because they have to be...." So tired of this defense for what was a poor offseason. Apparently at this point only losing 90-95 games is a step forward. A team that loses 103 games has more problems than just bad luck but if we wish hard enough and sign a couple guys to minor league deals it'll all just go away I guess....

Meh...I'm not a fan of taking a 15 lb weight difference one season vs the next and using that as a metric to make assessments about character and work ethic.

There is no way you can know what level of effort he put in. That is the biggest problem I have with this "issue." At this point the weight has become a means for people to attempt to justify assertions regarding effort and character that are impossible to prove. Following that sort of logic the Twins must have a ton of lazy/low character players....

Yes we all know the logical way to succeed at a position you've never been asked to play in your life is to lose an arbitrary amount of weight....

I'm waiting on the Reusse article blasting him for losing "too much weight," and using it as the cause the minute he dips into even a slight lull during the season....

99 it is then!

Gotcha, I was referring to above the average meaning "higher than." I agree, the more data points you have using the actual average the less impactful outliers (like the Twins staff...see what I did there) will be. Whether we call it .9 or .8 it rounds to 1 and thats terrible.

9/10 of a run above correct? I'm using the mean. League average was 4.18 and the Twins finished with a 5.08 team ERA.

Agreed, the D was horrendous and certainly didn't help. If only there was some way to fix these problems.....hmmmm

Compared to the league average, as a staff they were nearly a full run higher. I could have phrased that better. It doesn't change anything else in the post.

The pitching staff had the worst ERA in baseball by almost an entire run. Regression to even bottom third of the league isn't simple for this team. I wouldn't say that coming off a 103 loss season and remaining quiet during the offseason is an upswing. Also with a pitching staff this bad I think calling the rebuild complete is premature.

That has barely changed this offseason, yet they're on an upswing?

They went from winning 83 games to only 59...if they're moving in a direction right now its a backswing.

Are you saying you're fine with moving him in the last year of his deal for a Mejia type pticher?